Mohamed Ali Maslah
May 5, 2007
London, England
BBC News (London, England) May 5, 2007 Cab driver found beaten to death A murder inquiry has begun after a minicab driver was found beaten to death next to his car. Mohamed Ali Maslah, 41, was discovered outside a block of flats in north London in the early hours of Saturday. The married father-of-five, of Kentish Town, is thought to have been in a fight with a man and a woman. Police officers found him lying by his cab outside McIndoe Court in Sherborne Street, Islington. A post-mortem examination has been carried out. Young children A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "The 41-year-old victim was pronounced dead at the scene. "It is understood he was involved in an altercation with a man and woman. He was found lying beside his silver Vauxhall Zafira minicab." Police said Mr Maslah was a British citizen who came from Somalia. His five children were all under the age of 11. The Serious Crime Directorate is leading the investigation but police have not arrested anyone in connection with the murder.
Hampstead and Highgate Express
Life for a callous killer of a hard-working man
editorial@hamhigh.co.uk
08 November 2007
Photo: Victim Mohamed Ali Maslah
Tan Parsons
A KNIFE-wielding maniac who stabbed a Kentish Town taxi driver to death in a row over a fare has been jailed for life.
Somalian mini-cab driver and father-of-five Mohamed Ali Maslah, 41, from the Wendling estate in Haverstock Road, was knifed 11 times in the back and head by Desmond Wilson on May 5 this year.
A jury at the Old Bailey found 22-year-old Wilson guilty of murder on Monday and Judge Anthony Morris QC sentenced him to life imprisonment with a recommended minimum term of 15 years.
During the trial Wilson admitted intending to stab Mr Maslah, but said it was in self-defence and denied the murder charge. He claimed Mr Maslah was trying to kill him using a metal pole and the taxi as a battering ram.
"He was making demands for money. Things escalated from there. I knew I was in the right about the cab fare," he said.
Mr Maslah fled his homeland in 1989 to escape the civil war in Somalia, his wife Sahra joining him in 1991 after he was granted asylum.
He was working for Archway Cars at the time of his killing, and had collected Wilson and his then girlfriend Melissa Rose from Caledonian Road in his silver Vauxhall Zafira at around 2.40am.
At 3am at least four eye-witnesses were woken by an argument that erupted outside McIndoe Court in Sherborne Street, Islington.
A witness, referred to during the trial as Miss F, told the court: "There was a lot of screaming and shouting. That's not an unusual thing, but this particular night it was very loud.
"The first thing I saw was two men having an argument and a woman shouting trying to calm them. She was trying to stop her partner, to stop what he was doing. He was being very aggressive towards the driver and she was trying to stop it."
Wilson goaded the driver after he punched the cab, which caused Mr Maslah to get out waving a metal bar, she said.
"I immediately thought this was going to end in a bad way," she continued. "Wilson took control of the situation and was hitting the driver from behind. It was just continuous."
Police were quick to condemn the carrying of knives after the guilty verdict.
Detective Inspector Steve McCabe said outside the court: "Mohammed Maslah was a hard-working man, trying to provide a better life for his wife and five children, here in the UK.
"This is a tragic case where Mr Maslah who, while providing a public service, was brutally stabbed and left to die in the street.
"The carrying of knives can end in disaster. Desmond Wilson chose to arm himself with a knife as he went out that evening, which he subsequently used to disastrous effect. I appeal to others who may regularly arm themselves with knives, to think twice and recall this tragic and needless death."
tan.parsons@hamhigh.co.uk
http://www.hamhigh.co.uk/
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Desmond Wilson
Camden New Journal
Nov 9, 2007
by DAVID ST GEORGE
Minicab driver´s killer must spend 15 years behind bars
Victim´s widow in tears as judge passes life sentence for ‘savage attack´
The killer of a minicab driver this week began a life sentence.
After repeatedly stabbing his victim, Desmond Wilson claimed: “I was only defending myself.’
But Old Bailey jurors convicted him of murdering father-of-five Mohamed Ali Maslah, a 41-year-old refugee from Somalia who lived with his family at Wendling estate in Gospel Oak.
Unemployed Wilson, 22, of McIndoe Court, Sherborne Street, Islington, had previous convictions for armed robbery and possessing knives.
Passing sentence, Judge Anthony Morris, QC, ordered him to serve a minimum 15 years but warned that he might be in jail for longer, depending on the view of the Parole Board.
“In carrying out that savage attack you intended to kill Mr Maslah,’ he said. “I am satisfied you were in no way frightened of him.’
Courts had to do all they could to protect people in vulnerable occupations, Judge Morris added.
Mr Maslah´s widow, in court in tears to hear the verdict, had been “devastated’ by her loss.
“He would still be alive today if you hadn´t drawn that knife,’ the judge told Wilson.
While doing a late shift at a minicab firm in Archway, Mr Maslah picked up Wilson on May 5 to take him and his girlfriend, Melissa Rose, to his home in Islington.
At the end of the journey the two men got into a row over a demand for a £5 excess fare, said prosecutor Sir Allan Green, QC.
Wilson, much bigger, younger and stronger than Mr Maslah, began to “goad’ the victim before overpowering him and knifing him in the back, the court was told.
“The dispute about the fare led to violence. The driver was stabbed 11 times,’ said Sir Allan.
“One of the wounds proved fatal and was to the heart. Others included six to the back, two to the head and others to the neck and arms.’
Counsel added: “Murder is established here. He was not acting in reasonable and necessary self-defence. He had every opportunity to get away to the safety of his own flat.’
After Mr Maslah had “foolishly’ driven at him – he easily got out of the way – and took up a metal tube, weighing only ounces, to use when he saw the knife, Wilson used his blade “for revenge and retaliation’.
Four key eye-witnesses were allowed to give evidence from behind screens and with their identities withheld.
“A number of people living in the area heard Miss Rose shouting and screaming hysterically,’ said Sir Allan. “She was trying desperately to get Wilson into the block but he refused to go.’
Wilson fled to his mother´s home on the nearby Packington estate, where he was arrested the following day.
He claimed he carried a knife for protection against gangs and that he had been “completely wasted’ on champagne and cannabis on the night of the murder.
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Camden New Journal
by JAMIE WELHAM and DAVID ST GEORGE
15 November 2007
Minicab driver´s killer is found dead in cell as he starts life term
Prisons ombudsman to probe death just three days after Old Bailey sentence
AN inquiry has been launched into the death of a killer in a high security prison three days after he was given a life sentence for the murdering a Gospel Oak minicab driver.
Desmond Wilson was found dead in his cell in Belmarsh prison on Thursday, after being convicted of stabbing father-of-five Mohamed Maslah on Monday at the Old Bailey.
Mr Maslah who lived with his family in Wendling, Gospel Oak was working a late-night shift for an Archway cab firm when he was killed. Wilson admitted he had been “wasted’ when he stabbed Mr Maslah, but insisted he had done so in self-defence during an argument over Mr Maslah´s demand for a £5 excess fare.
Wilson called the cab to take him to the home he shared with his girlfriend in McIndoe Court, Islington, on May 5.
But Judge Anthony Morris, QC, told him: “I am satisfied that in carrying out your savage attack you intended to kill him. If you had not been carrying a knife he would still be alive.’
The investigation by Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will focus on whether Mr Wilson was given the standard assessment in prison to identify whether prisoners are at risk of harming themselves or others.
On Monday, a Ministry of Justice spokesman confirmed that Wilson had been declared dead by doctors at 12.12pm on Thursday after prison officers found him at 11.30am. He was unable to confirm exactly when Mr Wilson had arrived at Belmarsh, but added: ““He was not identified as at risk of self-harm at the time of his death.’
The death follows a report by a prison watchdog into the growing number of deaths in custody. It is the second at the maximum security prison this year and one of 77 self inflicted deaths across England and Wales.
Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust said: “The sobering truth is that, despite considerable efforts by the prison service, already this year the number of suicides in prison has exceeded the number for the whole of last year. Almost a third of suicides occur within the first week of someone arriving in custody. The Government needs to act.’
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Islington Tribune - by JAMIE WELHAM
Published: 16 November 2007
Minicab driver´s killer found hanged days into life sentence
‘Two lives have been lost in this tragedy,´ says uncle as probe is launched
INVESTIGATORS are probing the death of a killer in a high-security prison three days after starting a life sentence for the murder of a minicab driver.
Prison officers found Desmond Wilson, 22, of McIndoe Court, Islington, hanged in his Belmarsh prison cell last Thursday morning.
Three days earlier an Old Bailey judge had sentenced him for the fatal stabbing of Mohamed Ali Maslah.
Mr Wilson´s uncle, Keith Edwards, 51, has criticised the prison service for leaving his nephew alone while in a “suicidal’ state.
He said: “Something has gone horribly wrong and it needs looking at. People will say he was a criminal and he got what he deserves, but there is still a duty of care, especially for such a young lad who would have been very shaken up in difficult surroundings.
“After what had happened to him he would need looking after and he was definitely of the mindset where things would be playing on his mind.’
He added: “I have spoken to his mother at length, and our deepest sympathies go out to Mr Maslah´s family but two lives have been lost in this tragedy.’
In court, Mr Wilson admitted stabbing Mr Maslah, a father-of-five who worked as a driver for an Archway minicab firm to support his family in Gospel Oak.
Mr Wilson insisted the stabbing was in self-defence during an argument over a late-night fare while he was “wasted’.
Mr Wilson had called the minicab to take him to the home he shared with his girlfriend, Melissa Rose, on May 5.
Judge Anthony Morris, QC, told him: “I am satisfied that in carrying out your savage attack you intended to kill him.
“If you had not been carrying a knife he would still be alive.’
Mr Edwards, who lives in Crouch Hill, Stroud Green, said that his nephew was a quiet lad who adored watching Arsenal and spending time with his cousins. He would be greatly missed by his two younger brothers and younger sister.
The investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman will focus on whether Mr Wilson was given the standard assessment of medical and behavioural needs on his arrival in prison, a check that is supposed to determine whether prisoners are at risk of harming themselves or others.
On Monday, a Ministry of Justice spokesman confirmed that Mr Wilson had been declared dead by doctors at 12.12pm last Thursday after prison officers found him at 11.30am.
He was unable to confirm exactly when Mr Wilson had arrived at Belmarsh, but added: “He was not identified as at risk of self-harm at the time of his death.’
The death is the second at the maximum-security prison in Woolwich this year and one of 77 self-inflicted deaths in prisons across England and Wales.
Juliet Lyon, director of the Prison Reform Trust, said: “The sobering truth is that, despite considerable efforts by the prison service, already this year the number of suicides in prison has exceeded the number for the whole of last year.
“Almost a third of suicides occur within the first week of someone arriving in custody. The government needs to act now.’
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Camden New Journal (UK)
by JAMIE WELHAM
29 November 2007
Uncle of killer found hanged in cell attacks prison
THE uncle of a killer found hanged in his Belmarsh cell has criticised the prison service for leaving his nephew alone while in a “suicidal state’.
Desmond Wilson, 22, died four days after starting a life sentence last month for stabbing Gospel Oak minicab driver Mohamed Maslah to death in May.
Mr Wilson´s uncle, Keith Edwards, 51, said: “Something has gone horribly wrong and it needs looking at. People will say he was a criminal and he got what he deserves, but there is still a duty of care, especially for such a young lad who would have been very shaken up in difficult surroundings.
“After what he had been through he would have needed looking after and things would have been playing on his mind. I have spoken to his mother at length, and our deepest sympathies go out to Mr Maslah´s family but two lives have been lost in this tragedy.’
Mr Edwards said his nephew was a quiet lad who loved watching Arsenal and spending time with his cousins.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman is investigating the death.
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